Shame with consequences: Ukraine's spy boss on UN decision for MH17 downing
Chief of Ukraine's Defence Intelligence Kyrylo Budanov (Vitalii Nosach, RBC-Ukraine)
The decision of the International Court of Justice on the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 over the occupied part of the Donetsk region is shameful and will have consequences, as the chief of Ukraine's Defence Intelligence Kyrylo Budanov says in a comment to French media Liberation.
International Court of Justice decision
On January 31, the court in The Hague did not make a specific decision on the potential responsibility of the Russian Federation for the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 over the occupied part of the Donetsk region on July 17, 2014.
Thus, the court confirmed a smaller part of Ukraine's accusations against Russia in the case of financing terrorism.
Shame with consequences
According to the court's interpretation, Russia cannot be recognized as a sponsor of terrorism because the Russian anti-aircraft missile system Buk, which killed 298 civilian passengers and crew members of MH-17 in 2014, is a weapon, not money.
"This is a disgrace to the international judicial system, this court decision is a mistake and a disaster. Failure to recognize obvious facts will have very important consequences, especially for many civilized countries," Budanov said.
As he noted, the relevant decision of the International Court of Justice poses serious risks.
"If the aggressor state provides (to terrorist fighters - ed.) SAMs, but not money, and they shoot down a civilian Boeing, then, in fact, it will not be terrorism," explained the spy boss.
UN court ruling on Ukraine's lawsuit against Russia
On January 31, the International Court of Justice announced its final decision on Ukraine's lawsuit against the Russian Federation in the case of violations of conventions on the prohibition of financing terrorism and overcoming forms of racial discrimination - in Donbas and Crimea. Russia was found to violate certain parts of the Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism.
The lawsuit was filed on January 16, 2017. It is related to the aggressor's actions in Crimea and Donbas, addressing violations of two conventions by the Kremlin, namely the Convention and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination.
